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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (A Song of Ice and Fire)

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Format: Hardcover, Illustrated


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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Taking place nearly a century before the events of A Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin’s ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY LOS ANGELES TIMES AND BUZZFEED These never-before-collected adventures recount an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living consciousness. Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there was Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals—in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg—whose true name is hidden from all he and Dunk encounter. Though more improbable heroes may not be found in all of Westeros, great destinies lay ahead for these two . . . as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits. Featuring more than 160 all-new illustrations by Gary Gianni, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a must-have collection that proves chivalry isn’t dead—yet. Praise for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms “Readers who already love Martin and his ability to bring visceral human drama out of any story will be thrilled to find this trilogy brought together and injected with extra life.”—Booklist “The real reason to check out this collection is that it’s simply great storytelling. Martin crafts a living, breathing world in a way few authors can. . . . [Gianni’s illustrations] really bring the events of the novellas to life in beautiful fashion.”—Tech Times “Stirring . . . As Tolkien has his Silmarillion, so [George R. R.] Martin has this trilogy of foundational tales. They succeed on their own, but in addition, they succeed in making fans want more.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Pure fantasy adventure, with two of the most likable protagonists George R. R. Martin has ever penned.”—Bustle “A must-read for Martin’s legion of fans . . . a rousing prelude to [his] bestselling Song of Ice and Fire saga . . . rich in human drama and the colorful worldbuilding that distinguishes other books in the series.”—Publishers Weekly Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam; Illustrated edition (October 6, 2015)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0345533488


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 87


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #12,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #259 in Sword & Sorcery Fantasy (Books) #343 in Fantasy Action & Adventure #610 in Epic Fantasy (Books)


#259 in Sword & Sorcery Fantasy (Books):


#343 in Fantasy Action & Adventure:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • What Martin did with nobility in Song, he shows with commoner eyes in Knight
I am a huge fan of George R R Martin, am up to date on his illustrious ASOIAF series, and write reviews and analysis of the same. It is my second favorite fandom and top favorite (written) fantasy series. This review will be in three parts just as the volume is. The Hedge Knight What I find interesting is that Westeros a hundred years in the past is pretty much the same as Westeros now. Nothing has really changed. If we consider what a hundred years ago was like in our world, it is quite different (at least in some appearances. Many thought patterns are sadly still the same, but that's beyond the scope of this review). What ASOIAF shows with the nobles and high lords AKOTSK does with the small folk, landed knights, and petty lords. Just like ASOIAF, Knight occurs in the aftermath of a rebellion that took place 16-17 years ago, the Blackfyre Rebellion as compared to Robert's, but where Robert's succeeded, the Blackfyre's failed. It is interesting to note that both conflicts concerned the Targaryens. I'll have more things to discuss about this in my reviews of the other two stories, but there is an ominous thread that ties the past and the future together. Dunk is an extremely likable character. His self-deprecation only serves to elevate him as the unlikely hero. Though he is technically not a knight (Ser Arlan never did the deed before he died), he truly is and that's all that matters. He's the far less cynical and jaded Hound who does the right thing because his ideals have not yet been smashed by reality. Though he does rush into situations often without thinking, it's only because he's so keen on doing the right thing if not necessarily the thing that will foster his self-preservation. Egg is adorable and feisty, and his tongue betrays the fact that he's more than a squire. He is the common "hidden prince" motif as Dunk is the "orphan turned hero," but neither tropes come off as trite. There is some pretty horrifying implications of the abuse Egg suffered from Aerion that makes me wonder if more is not being said (there's a video about Aeron [interesting name similarity] Greyjoy having a comparable experience with his brother Euron.) So I can understand Egg's desire to not return to Summerhall Martin delivers another beautifully written story in this first installment. He has a way of pulling you into the visceral world of Song despite how brutal and desperate it might be. We see Westeros through the eyes of two very young and in many ways naive characters though one is a commoner and the other a prince. They each have knowledge to impart to each other that neither could know alone. Dunk has more years and experience in survival, and Egg knows the intricacies of noble courts, information Dunk never thought he would need. The Sworn Sword The Sworn Sword picks up a year and a half after The Hedge Knight leaves off. Dunk and Egg have had many adventures unseen (or unread in our case) in that interim. They have been to Dorne, which we only hear about in recount, but this fortune of location spared them the disastrous effects of the Great Spring Sickness, which reached neither Dorne nor the Vale of Arryn as both regions closed off their access roads and ports to all travelers. Tens of thousands died mostly in the cities, King's Landing succumbing to the sickness the worst. Both the king Daeron II Targaryen and his two most immediate heirs the Princes Valarr and Matarys. The current sitting king is Aerys I Targaryen, a man who loves books more than ruling and who loves his wife even less. The kingdom is currently heir-less and many whisper that the king's hand Lord Brynden Rivers or Bloodraven is more ruler than he. Currently Dunk is in the service of Ser Eustace Osgrey of Standfast, an old, (minimally) landed knight who has nothing left but ashes and heartache being the last surviving member of his family and forced to remember the ancient honors they once owned. On their way back from a supply run in Dosk along with another of Ser Eustace's knights Ser Bennis, Dunk notices a local stream has run dry. Ser Bennis insists it's just due to the drought, but Dunk is more suspicious. Upon investigation, they discover workmen of Lady Rohanne Webber of the neighboring lands of Coldmoat have built a damn. When the men refuse to leave peacefully, Ser Bennis wounds one and drives them away. This act sets in motion all of events of the story for good or for ill. This second installment of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms intimately and tragically shows us the fallout of civil war. The world of Song, of which Knight is a microcosm is one of constant returns and repeats. As the greater tale encompassed in the five currently pushed novels portrays a world in the aftermath of one rebellion, Knight does the same thing a hundred years prior. This is certainly a critique that human nature does not change nor do the hearts of men yearn less for glory, and what side of the war one falls depends on fate's fatal whim. Had Daemon Blackfyre won the throne, Ser Eustace would've sat in Coldmoat and Lady Rohanne might have been a lady in waiting if lucky and a thrall if not. Wars do not have definite heroes and villains, and this is something Dunk is forced to see. The Sworn Sword brought the complexities of these issues to the fore where The Hedge Knight introduced us to the situation in the background. TSS showed the real world consequences of choices. GRRM has never shirked on proving to his readers that actions have consequences some of the potentially dire *cough* Eddard Stark *cough* Oh..."dire" consequences hehe. A pun appears without any effort. Again Dunk and Egg are excellent filters to view this deadly pageantry. They are young but are becoming more worldly in their travels, but not so much yet that their sights are jaded. The reader is brought into the conclusions that the hedge knight is forced to make even though he doesn't like it. Dunk is a character who wishes for the world to be black and white, as many in our world do, for it would be simpler. Be a good knight, protect the helpless, defend the weak, serve your sworn knight or lord, but as in the first novella with Tanselle and Aerion, it's not always so easy. Being a "true knight" in that case nearly cost Dunk a literal limb. This is an echo of the dilemma Jaime certainly faced in the last day of his service to Aerys. Being a knight is supposed to be easy in principle, but nothing is easy in a world made of grey. The Mystery Knight The story starts with Dunk and Egg leaving Stoney Sept and heading north in hopes to take up service with Lord Beron Stark who has sent out a call for men to help with the Greyjoy raids off the northern coast. On the way there, the two encounter a lords train led by Lord Gormon Peake of Starpike who has nothing but rude words for the hedge knight and his bald squire. Included in the party is another lord named Alyn Cockshaw and a well dressed man who claims to be a hedge knight called Ser John the Fiddler. Though Peake and Cockshaw insult and challenge Dunk, Ser John treats him courteously and invites him and Egg to attend the wedding of Lord Ambrose Butterwell as there is to be a joust to celebrate his wedding to a Frey of the Crossing, and the prize is to be a dragon's egg. Dunk already harbors ill will towards Lord Gormon as Ser Arlan, the knight for whom he squired, lost his former squire and nephew to Peake on the Redgrass Field during the First Blackfyre Rebellion. Egg tells Dunk that though Lord Gormon's arms have three castles on an orange field, the Peake family used to own three, but two were forfeit when he sided with House Blackfyre. Dunk decides to forestall his trip to the north and attend the wedding. On the way there, he befriends three fellow hedge knights about the same mission: Ser Maynard Plumm, Ser Kyle the Cat of Misty Moor, and a young, prickly hedge knight named Ser Glendon Ball who claims to be the bastard son of the famous knight Quentyn "Fireball" Ball, a warrior of great renown who fought during the Blackfyre Rebellion. The wedding takes place at Whitewalls where Lord Frey arrives with his toddler aged heir (Walder Frey who even then is described as "chinless") and his fifteen year old daughter who weds Lord Ambrose. Egg informs Dunk that Lord Frey took no part in the Rebellion; however, one of his sons fought for the red dragon and the other for the black. In this way, Frey was assured to be on the winning side, but both of his sons died on the Redgrass Field. Even a hundred years ago, Freys were equivocators... The final (for now) story in AKOTSK culminates in another rebellion that is quashed before it can even begin. Martin again shows us how history does nothing but repeat itself within the confines of this triad and the macrocosm of the full narrative as a whole. Knight takes place in the aftermath and ascent of a rebellion as Song does a century later. Nothing changes unless we engender change. Once more Dunk manages to behave like a true knight and surprisingly survive despite all of the treachery afoot. Him and Egg almost have this protective aura about them, though since Martin only has them for viewpoint characters, he can't just kill them off I suppose. Each also has a unique perspective based on their opposing backgrounds. The Mystery Knight presents the idea of tourneys, weddings, and large social gatherings as covers for clandestine meetings and potentially treasonous plans (which it is theorized was the hidden motive for the Tourney at Harrenhal in the Year of the False Spring). Under the shade of wedding's boon, numerous lords were able to get together in the aftermath of the Great Spring Sickness that in taking away much opened up ambitious opportunity. After the Rebellion ended, the lords on the losing side had to offer up hostages to the crown. This was brought up in The Sworn Sword, as well. Hostages are used to keep unruly or potentially rebellious lords in line, but once dead, that leverage is gone. It's the reason in the current stories, Cersei is so intent on maintaining the charade that she holds both Sansa and Arya though the younger Stark sister has been long lost. The more hostages you hold, the more control you exert over their house. These people are essentially currency, and so long as you have them, you are buying a house's allegiance and compliance. In a way feudal marriages work similarly, too, though this paradigm is hopefully far more benevolent where hostage taking is what happens to the losers in war. Bloodraven is the thread that runs through the narrative of Knight. He ties the past to the future as the only character to exist in both the time of this story and Song. He is a shadowy, omnipresent figure who was first seen by Dunk riding a "pale mare," which is both a macro allusion to death (the pale horse), and a potential future reference to a disease of the same name. This does not bode well for Bloodraven's character for like many of Martin's his true motivations are unknown as are his plans for Bran. Each story of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms delves deeper into the idea that there are two sides to war (as again Song does in it's very title invoking Ice and Fire). THK is laid on the backdrop of the failed rebellion's aftermath . We don't hear much about it directly, we only know that it occurred. We are also shown two very different types of Targaryens in Aerion and Baelor. This could be due to a number of factors. Aerion is more inbred than Baelor, and therefore received a heaping of the Targaryen madness that's always a potential fear. At the end of TSS we are more involved in the shadows of the rebellion. The young hedge knight is forced to stop thinking in black and white, which is a wonderful meta critique for the whole Song narrative as Martin writes almost entirely in grey. The difference between loyalists and traitors is utterly contingent on who wins the war. Is it truly fair to mete out punishment based on an outcome no one can really know? In the more current rebellion those lords that sided with the Targaryens were stripped of titles and lands while those who sided with Robert were honored, but if the chips had fallen another way, the results for those raised would've been far more devastating. Finally at the end of TMK we see the elusive Bloodraven whom we've only heard mentioned many, many times prior so much that the man seems to exist in legend especially considering his "thousand eyes and one," which is the answer to the riddle Dunk asks himself again and again. There aren't "good guys and bad guys;" there are people who believe they are owed certain things and they're willing to fight to obtain it. What matters is whose army wins the day. This repeats itself in Song with Robert's Rebellion. Rhaegar is clearly the Crown Prince and the rightful heir to the throne, but he died at the ruby ford (another "red" field we could say), and Robert ascended the throne. Though there were whispers that he was a usurper and even those who called his rebellion "The War of the Usurper," by might and strength he was the rightful king. This prequel to A Song of Ice and Fire serves to further the idea that there are no absolutes. As Varys states in A Clash of Kings, "Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less." All that we see of wars and alliances is the shadow and pageantry of the same. It's the great show that's still required to make it seem like these choices truly matter. Ser Jorah, rough as he is, has some brilliance to spare for this paradigm as well when Dany asks him if the small folk truly pray for the dragon's return replies. "The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends. It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace. They never are." Who sits the Iron Throne only really matters to whom sits the Iron Throne, their cronies, and backers. To the everyday peasant it means nothing at all; they are far below the farce. Knight even more so than Song in having a commoner protagonist shows how true this is. Egg as a royal foil who is able to see the common point of view is being set up as the kind of king whose appointment to the the throne may actually make a difference. Like A Song of Ice and Fire, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is masterfully rendered. Martin is a craftsman of the written word, and I expected no less than perfection from this epic prequel to his epic work. I read that there will be more Dunk and Egg stories to tie more threads together. Until then (or until The Winds of Winter arrive), I shall indulge myself with his Dreamsongs. I may not be one of the small folk, but that doesn't mean I will not pray for the author's next words. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2016 by Adrienne
    • Leaves me wanting more…
I can’t wait to read more of the adventures of Dunk & Egg!! Lots of confusing characters, names, titles… hard to keep track of who’s who. But great adventures and heroes great and small!
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2023 by NorCalGal
    • Westeros without the soul-crushing depression
I've often wanted to review the A Song of Ice and Fire books on this website but, really, there's nothing I could possibly say about them which other websites have not said and better. Likewise, there's no point in bringing more attention to the novels because they're already some of the most famous in fantasy. It's pretty much the same with the spin-offs as there's not much point in talking about Game of Thrones since everyone and their brother is watching that show. I've made an exception for Telltale's Game of Thrones because that's a side-story but this is the first book I feel comfortable recommending which might have slipped under fans' radars. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a compilation of three novellas (The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight) written by George R.R. Martin for various anthologies. The premise is a young hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall (a self-granted title since his master never knighted him), takes on a squire named Egg after the death of his mentor Ser Arlan. A hedge knight is a knight with no prestige or lineage but has the training as well as equipment to be a mounted soldier in the Seven Kingdoms. At the absolute bottom of the social hierarchy's warrior class but still part of it, Duncan has a unique perspective on events occurring in the century before A Game of Thrones. The three novellas take place in a very different Westeros from the one described in the books because the Targaryens are still at, if not the height of the rule then some distance from their twilight. The lands have been at peace for a decade and the nobility, if not following the example of chivalry in spirit, is at least trying to follow the example of chivalry in appearance. In a very real way, the book serves as an argument for a Targaryen Restoration because it shows everyone more or less getting along and the peasants able to live reasonably secure lives. George R.R. Martin, the father of grimdark, still treats the Medieval romance with a good deal of disdain but it's not nearly as cynical in many respects. Ser Duncan's basic decency makes him a far better knight than those born into the role but the absence of Gregor Cleganes, Boltons, Bloody Mummers, and even Lannisters make the villains of a decidedly more sympathetic bent. They're still very realistic fantasy with only the occasional prophetic dream keeping it from being absent magic together but the heart of the stories is a peasant-born warrior trying to navigate the complicated social dynamics of Westeros' knightly class. The Hedge Knight is, in a weird way, not that dissimilar from Heath Ledger's A Knight's Tale. Duncan is a peasant knight from Fleabottom who has a vision of becoming a famous warrior after Ser Arlan's death. Unfortunately, Ser Duncan lacks William Thatcher's godlike skill with a lance and swiftly finds himself in hot water with a Targaryen prince. In a very real way, this is a sports story and the deadly stakes of the event make it all the more entertaining to read about. Of the three, The Hedge Knight is my least favorite as I never really found that much interest in jousting and its central role in peacetime Medieval life. The Sworn Sword is a follow up to The Hedge Knight where Duncan has managed to find himself as an actual proper sworn knight to a lord--sort of. Having taken up service to a lord of something which barely qualifies as a tower, Duncan ends up caught up in a conflict between his lord and the beautiful widow across the river. The central conflict turns out to be not one of good and evil but the legacy of a war which had, to quote George Lucas, heroes on both sides. I like how it managed to take a very Medieval concept of fighting for a ladies' honor and play it straight while also illustrating how absurd it was. The Mystery Knight is, bluntly, one of my favorite stories in fantasy. I've re-read this novella five times and am probably going to do so again. It's a story with a lot of parallels to Bonnie Prince Charlie's revolt and is basically a Medieval spy novel set against the backdrop of a tournament. I love the characters of Lord Butterwell, the Fiddler, and Fireball's bastard. They are eccentric, larger than life, and yet believable. I also loved finally getting a chance to meet These stories are,obviously, going to be enjoyed more by fans of the books than by the show. Aside from the possible relationship between Duncan and Brienne, many of the details of the history will fly by television viewers. Despite this, I think they would be enjoyable even to those who have no experience with the world. Fans of grimdark will find the stories a good deal more idealistic and pleasant but still possessed of the moral ambiguity as well as "realism" which made the original books so enjoyable. The chief draw of the books for me is the relationship between Ser Duncan and Egg. Duncan is, to be honest, dumb but decent while Egg is highly-intelligent and somewhat more ruthless than his master. The contrast between their social positions, viewpoints, and attitudes provides an endless array of interesting conversations. It's kind of sad I know how their story works out due to The World of Ice and Fire but their tale is one I could follow through its own series. They're hilarious, insightful, and fun together--and what more can you ask from your heroes? In conclusion, I really really recommend this book. I almost wish George R.R. Martin would take more time from The Winds of Winter to do more of these stories. They're fun, light, and entertaining reads which deserve to be looked into. This version of the story is illustrated and while I tend to prefer the comic book versions of these story, it lends a sort of "Illustrated King Arthur" feel to things. 9.5/10 ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2015 by C.T.

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